Plaintiffs: Infomercial Product Made Our Hair Fall Out

Wen by Chaz Dean products make the company around $100 million a year. (PRNewsFoto/WEN)

(Newser)
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Wen by Chaz Dean hair-care products are touted as a natural alternative to shampoo and other products, but some angry customers say the downside is hair loss—and lots of it. More than 200 women across the US have joined a class-action lawsuit claiming that the sulfate-free hair products contain an ingredient that "causes a chemical reaction and damages hair and follicles," the Daily Beast reports. Dean is a celebrity stylist who has promoted the products through what Racked describes as "ubiquitous infomercials and marketing promising that his cleanser can replace ordinary shampoo and conditioner." The plaintiffs complain that infomercial giant Guthy-Renker blocked negative reviews online.

The plaintiffs say they suffered "hair and scalp damage, hair loss, rashes, scalp irritation, hair breakage," and other woes, reports BuzzFeed, which has some alarming pictures of the damage users say the product has done to their hair and scalps. A lawyer for the plaintiffs says the issue is heading to mediation. "The parties are attempting to settle their differences outside of court and we have agreed to refrain from any extrajudicial statements about the case in the meantime," she tells the Beast, which notes that since the causes of hair loss in women can be very complicated, it could be tough to prove in court that Wen products are responsible for plaintiffs' bald patches. (A man who hasn't showered in 12 years has his own line of shampoo.)